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When Making Connections, Context is King

February 25, 2011 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

On the Smart Networking Blog, I’m always trying to write about things that make networking easier, no matter how simple they may be. In my experience (and observation!) it’s often the really simple things that get overlooked. Here’s a good example. Context.

The dictionary defines context as “the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.”

In building relationships, context opens doors. When my friend Laura Allen sent me an email introduction to Jerry Allocca and said that we needed to know each other, Jerry and I both responded immediately. Because here’s what she wrote:

Jerry: As I mentioned on the phone, I’ve known Liz for many years and she even attended my first 15SecondPitch workshop in 2003. She’s a master of networking and just a great person to know. Here is her contact info:

Liz: Jerry is known as “The Rocky of the Internet” because he’s such a tireless advocate for his clients. His mission in life is to rid the world of UGLY websites. He is the founder of CORE Interactive and spends his days (along with his team) building high end websites that are very user-friendly. He’s also a master of S.E.O. Here’s his contact info:

The CONTEXT that Laura gave was perfect. A short email but with enough info to explain why it makes sense for us to connect and start the conversation. Plus, a ringing endorsement of both of us helped too!

Context is important when making introductions between two of your contacts. It’s also important when introducing yourself in non-face-to-face situations (obviously when you’re meeting someone at a live event, the fact that you’re both in the room is often context enough. Just say hello, shake hands and start the conversation. But there is a caveat to this which I’ll explain in a moment).

Without the immediacy of dealing with someone standing right in front of you, then you need to cut through the clutter of all the emails they get each day, all the calls they have to return, and all the more pressing tasks they need to tackle on their to-do lists. So whether you’re sending an email, leaving a phone message, or trying to connect through a social networking site with someone you don’t know but would like to, context is key.

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

“So-and-so mentioned your name and I wanted to get in touch.”
“I read an article about your company…”
“I heard you speak at XYZ event last fall…”
“I came across your LinkedIn profile/website/blog/etc. when I was searching for…”

See how easy that is? Nothing too complicated, right? But keep the following in mind:

1) Nothing in this initial email should pitch your service (i.e., don’t say “I came across your website and noticed it’s not optimized for Google, we have a great service that does that.”) Remember, we’re networking, making a new connection, not trying to make a sale. That has to wait for later.

2) Don’t name-drop if you don’t really know the person whose name you’re dropping. One of my LinkedIn contacts whom I didn’t know (but was wiling to get to know and that’s why I accepted his invitation) used my name in an invitation to someone in my network, let’s call him Joe. So Joe emails me to check up on this person before deciding whether or not to accept the invitation, and I had to tell him the truth — that I didn’t know him, and now I never would because I was dropping him as a connection.

3) When you’re at a live event, context can help break the ice with someone you really want to meet. Context can help you break through, get you on common ground, and kick off the conversation, but still keep in mind #1 and #2 above!

Want to use this article on your website, blog or ezine? No problem! But here is what you MUST include:

“Liz Lynch, business development strategist and author of ‘Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online,’ teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to get 24/7 networking results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort. Get her Smart Networking Toolkit at www.SmartNetworking.com.”

Filed Under: LinkedIn, Success Principles Tagged With: jerry allocca, laura allen, networking, social media

Plug Into the Power of Existing Connections

November 29, 2010 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

Before anyone will
help you – give you a referral, partner with you on a project, whatever it is
you need – they have to know, like and trust you.

You already have a
big head start with existing contacts — people you’ve worked with before, have gone to
school with, live near, served on a charity organization with, etc – but sometimes we’re so focused on making new connections that we
take for granted this rich resource that’s already in our grasp.

Rekindling those
connections is
like plugging into an electrical socket. The current is there, the energy is
flowing somewhere behind the wall, but unless you have a way to get to it, you
can’t tap into the power.

If you’ve read “Smart
Networking” you know that the very first networking event that I attended as an
entrepreneur, I ran out of the room after 5 minutes.

After
I failed so miserably meeting total strangers at events, I took a step back and
decided to re-start my networking efforts with people I already knew. I sat
down with about a dozen former co-workers, bosses, and classmates to have
coffee with them, find out what they were doing in their careers and
businesses, and let them know that I had left corporate America and was now an
independent consultant.

I
didn’t ask them to hire me. I didn’t ask them if they knew anyone looking for a
strategy consultant, I just focused on reestablishing the relationship. But of
course, through the conversation we had, they got a good idea of what my focus
was and what I was looking for.

From
those dozen meetings, I filled up my practice for the next two years. Some of my
contacts hired me directly. They already knew my work and knew they liked
working with me, so if they had a need, I was the obvious choice.

Some
referred me to others in their network sometimes even 6-12 months later. They
were speaking to someone they knew who mentioned they needed help, and I got
the referral. If my contacts didn’t know I was doing this kind of work, they would
have recommended someone else.

I
guarantee that there are folks you know that you’ve forgotten about who can be
tremendously helpful to you. To rekindle the connection, first take deliberate
inventory and then take focused action:

1)
Write down every job you’ve had, every school you’ve attended, every networking
group you’ve been involved with, and every community organization you’ve
belonged to in the last 10 years.

2)
Make a list of at least 50 people you haven’t spoken to in a while, focusing on
those with whom you had a solid relationship. This will be the foundation of
your reconnection strategy for the next 12 months.

3)
Find as many of them as you can on LinkedIn and invite them to connect with
you, following the advice in my post on the best way to write a LinkedIn
invitation. LinkedIn is perfect for getting back on someone’s radar screen in
an unobtrusive way. You’re not asking for anything, you just want to reconnect.

4)
For those with whom you’re already connected on LinkedIn, read through their
profile to find out what they’re currently doing. Start a conversation. Comment
on their status update, answer a question they posted, or send a brief message.

“Hi
John, it’s been a while, but I was browsing through LinkedIn and noticed that
you’re working with ABC company. I’m at XYZ & Co., now and thought it would
be great to catch up and see if we can help each other in some way.”

5)
Plan to get together with at least one person each week. While catching up by
phone saves time, it doesn’t have the impact of a face-to-face meeting over
coffee or lunch, where you can be totally present with each other and not be
tempted to multi-task with email and web surfing.

6)
Leverage your time even more by organizing a group meeting. Invite 2-3 of your
contacts to a group lunch or after-work drinks. Not only will you be able to
reconnect with each one in a productive way, but you’ll also create an
opportunity for them to reconnect with each other.

7)
At your meeting, ask questions and show genuine interest in understanding their
current situation and needs. Listen for opportunities to connect them to
resources or contacts that can help them.

8)
Be prepared to explain what you’re doing in a clear and concise way. If people
can’t understand what you do, they won’t be able to help you. A confused mind
takes no action.

9)
Send a follow up email after the meeting. Forward any info you promised you’d
send. Reiterate that you’d like to stay in touch and would be happy to help
them in any way you can.

While
not every interaction will generate new business for you, learning this process
of contacting, meeting and following up with existing contacts will improve
those relationships, open up a strong line of communication, and increase your
comfort and skill level in building meaningful new connections.

Want to use this article on your website, blog
or ezine? No problem! But here is what you MUST include:

“Liz Lynch, business development
strategist and author of ‘Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and
Online,’ teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to get 24/7 networking
results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort. Get her Smart Networking Toolkit at www.SmartNetworking.com.”

Filed Under: Building Your Business, LinkedIn, Reactivating Contacts Tagged With: LinkedIn, liz lynch, smart networking

LinkedIn Best Practices Poll: Friend, Colleague or Other?

November 9, 2010 by Liz Lynch 1 Comment

Quite often I get LinkedIn invitations from people I don’t know personally, and I used to be very stingy with my acceptances.

Everyone uses LinkedIn in different ways, and I like how there are no hard and fast rules about that (even though LinkedIn does advise that you connect only with people you know).

My philosophy a few years ago was that I wanted to link only with people I could recommend without hesitation if one of my contacts needed a referral. For me, that meant that I should know the individual personally and be able to vouch for their work.

At the very least, I should be able to pick them out of a line up.

So when complete strangers would invite me to link with them, especially if they didn’t include some kind of personal note introducing themselves (big no-no, read my last post on this), I would typically ignore the invitation.

Since Smart Networking was published two years ago, though, I’ve softened my stance. Because the book is international and I’ve been regularly interviewed in the media and spoken for audiences all around the world, more people know about me and seek me out. So I’ve been more open to forging new connections through LinkedIn, rather than just reconnecting with those I already know.

But then a sticky situation arises. Before you can send the invitation, you must indicate how you know the person.

Let’s say you’d like to connect with Steve, someone you met at a networking event and would like to stay in touch with online. As part of the invitation process, LinkedIn asks you to indicate how you know Steve. Here are your choices:

So now what do you do?

If you choose “Colleague” LinkedIn will ask you to indicate at which company in your profile you and Steve worked together. Hm, this doesn’t apply…

If you choose ”Classmate“ LinkedIn will ask you to indicate which school in your profile you attended with Steve. Getting colder…

If you choose “We’ve done business together“ LinkedIn will ask you to indicate which company in your profile you were working at when you did business with Steve. A bit presumptuous, aren’t we?…

You could choose “Friend“ and LinkedIn won’t ask you for any additional information, so this seems like the easiest solution, but is it the best one? Does this devalue your real friendships on LinkedIn?

Personally, I would choose “Other” since there is no specific option for “Acquaintance” and really, at the end of the day, by process of elimination, it’s the most accurate. If you do choose “Other” however, LinkedIn will ask you to type in Steve’s email address, but you should have this anyway if you exchanged business cards at the event.

I’ve been having a fun debate with my friend/colleague/other Lea Marino whom I first met just a few weeks ago at the NYXpo conference where I led a seminar on Smart Networking. We learned that we have different preferences when it comes to this issue. Honestly I had never thought about it before until Lea brought it up, but I’m glad she did!

Lea prefers “friend” over “colleague” because “Every time someone uses the colleague approach,” she says, “I always make sure they don’t think I’m someone else.” Good point. Because you have to indicate which company you worked at together, it can be confusing.

For an employee at a company (and for LinkedIn terminology), “colleague” means “co-worker,” but for me as an entrepreneur who partners with and gets help from other entrepreneurs on different projects all the time, “colleague” means “collaborator.” So it doesn’t bother me to be categorized as a “colleague” though if we haven’t done any work together yet, then “other” is still the most appropriate choice in my book.

Since Lea and I have different personal preferences, we figured others do too. And we thought it would be interesting to run a poll to get your input.

What do you think? Please vote below, and if you would like to elaborate on your selection, leave a comment too. Really interested to get your thoughts and tally up your votes. Thanks for playing!

When someone you don’t know invites you to connect on LinkedIn, how would you prefer to be categorized?survey software

Filed Under: LinkedIn, Polls & Surveys Tagged With: lea marino, LinkedIn, liz lynch, nyxpo, smart networking

LinkedIn Best Practices: 5 Keys to the Perfect Invitation

October 28, 2010 by Liz Lynch 7 Comments

We all know that when we meet someone at a networking event, we want to put our best foot forward and make a favorable first impression.

That’s why we get self-conscious if we feel our palms are a bit sweaty or there might be a poppy seed stuck between our teeth. We know to give a friendly smile and a firm but not crushing handshake. We know not to invade the person’s private space by standing too close. And we know to communicate standard pleasantries like, “Hello” and “Nice to meet you.”

Yet when it comes to networking online, so much of that awareness of how you might be coming across goes out the window. Not for everybody, but it happens enough that I can’t stay quiet any longer.

Yes, the rant you’ve been waiting for…my personal pet peeve…the sloppy LinkedIn invitation.

How you introduce yourself for the first time to someone who doesn’t know you sets the stage for the relationship. Not that their impression can’t be changed, but that takes more work than doing things right the first time.

When you invite someone to connect with you on LinkedIn, you have the option of including a personal note with your invitation. Unfortunately LinkedIn pre-populates this field with a rather sterile introduction:

There’s no warmth, no personality, no indication that even a modicum of time or thought was invested. It looks like you were in a hurry, lazy or clueless, none of which is particularly appealing to people you want to do business with. Your invitation may still be accepted, but simply adding another connection to your LinkedIn profile really isn’t the point.

The point is to develop relationships. And a stamped out, cookie cutter, impersonal invitation like the one above is not a good way to start.

The sad thing is that it doesn’t take a lot of extra time or thought to stand out in a positive way. There are only five things you need to do. Not a hundred, just five, so there’s absolutely no excuse:

Say hello. You would do it in person, so why not do it here? Add two words to the beginning of the note such as “Hi Liz” or “Dear Liz.” This makes me feel like you’re addressing the note specifically to me.
Add context. Your first sentence should be a brief explanation of why you want to connect. Something along the lines of “I saw you speak at last week’s event” or “I read your book” or “I see that we both know Marvin Jones.” Even “I saw your name pop up when I was logged in” is better than nothing.
Introduce yourself. Describe what you do in your next sentence. DO NOT say, “Read my profile to learn what I do.” That’s just rude. If you’re the one making the initial contact, it’s YOUR job to give them the basic information. “I’m a systems engineer at Boeing” or “I’m a blogger and executive coach in San Diego.” Let people know who you are, and if they want to find out more, your profile is just a click away.
Invite them to connect. I don’t have a big problem with the default sentence “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” IF the other four steps of this formula are followed. But while you’re personalizing things, why not personalize this sentence as well? One of my favorite ways is to say, “I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn and see how we can help each other.” Think about what would make it appealing for someone to accept your invitation.
Add a closing sign off. Before your name, add a closing like “Best regards” or “Sincerely” or “Take care.” Something that you would include in any other note to a stranger whom you are trying to impress.

So what’s the benefit of taking the 10 extra seconds to do this, rather than leaving the default message as is?

First of all, you’ve stood out among all the other LinkedIn invitations your contact may have received that day or that week or that month, so you’re going to be remembered.

Second, you’ve left the impression that you’re friendly, polite and willing to go the extra mile.

And third, you’ve established that you’re interested in building a relationship rather than just increasing your number of connections. In other words, you’re about quality rather than quantity.

For a few extra seconds of your time, I’d say that’s a big return for your investment, wouldn’t you?

What do you think? How do you feel about receiving a LinkedIn invitation with the default intro rather than a customized one? What are your ideas for personalizing your messages? Please comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Liz Lynch, business development strategist and author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person & Online, teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to get 24/7 networking results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort. Get her FREE Smart Networking toolkit at www.SmartNetworking.com

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: LinkedIn, liz lynch, networking

Your Job Search: The Hidden Goldmine Within the LinkedIn Companies Tab

August 28, 2009 by Liz Lynch 3 Comments

I was interviewed by CNN last week to give some quick tips on using social networking for a job search beyond just updating your status to say you’re looking for a job.

In the segment I focused most on LinkedIn not only because there are now close to 45 million professionals who are members of that site, but because more and more recruiters and hiring managers are using it to find candidates directly rather than relying on job boards. With the unemployment rate at its highest level in 26 years, a posting on an online job board can inundate a recruiter with hundreds or thousands of resumes, a large percentage of which are likely to be unqualified for the job.

An article in The Wall Street Journal last month, for example, told of a law firm that posted a position and received responses from almost 1,000 people, half of whom did not even have a law degree!

But I also focused on LinkedIn because I feel there are some underutilized features that job seekers can leverage to help them find opportunities that are just starting to bubble up before they’re widely advertised. And by the way, it’s a great tool for entrepreneurs too to help them be proactive in identifying unmet needs and proposing solutions.

The company who’s who

One of these features is the Companies page. From the top menu of the home page of LinkedIn, click on the “Companies” option and type in a company name or keyword in the search box. LinkedIn will show you an employee listing, including specifically anyone in your network who works there, used to work there, or is connected to someone who does.

Speaking to a few people within each group can be enormously valuable for getting different perspectives on the potential opportunities within your target companies. For example:

Current employees are invaluable resources for getting a handle on what is happening at the company now and the direction it’s going. Plus, they can be great allies for helping you get your resume to the right people and putting in a good word for you (if they know you, of course!).
New promotions and changes may be in the market to hire new positions as they expand their department or replace existing under performers.
New hires can hint at where there may be growth opportunities within the company. Even if you can’t speak to them directly, you can get a sense if certain divisions have been on a hiring spree and target them first.
Recent departures might be more open to talking about the challenges the company is having, which leaders might be great to work for and who might be a nightmare (good info to know before you accept a job, right?).

This is incredible market intelligence that would have been near impossible to perform just a few years ago.

To assist you in crafting your outreach emails to these folks, I’d like to point you to two recent posts from my Personal Branding Blog colleagues: Monica O’Brien outlined a terrific sample template for requesting a brief informational interview over the phone, and Chad Leavitt shared great strategies for how to effectively contact recruiters you might find on that employee list.

All the information you need is at your fingertips, now go for it!

Read the original post in Personal Branding Blog.

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, LinkedIn, Personal Branding Tagged With: job search, LinkedIn, liz lynch, personal branding, smart networking

Are You Getting All that You Can Out of LinkedIn? (LIVE Teleseminar Thursday, August 13th)

August 11, 2009 by Liz Lynch Leave a Comment

You may be on LinkedIn, but are you really using it to its
full advantage to win new business, raise your profile, and make more money?

If not, you’ll want to join me on the inaugural call of my
brand new Smart Networking Inner Circle coaching program where I’ll be kicking off our monthly expert interview with LinkedIn expert Lewis Howes, author of:

“LinkedWorking: Generating Success
on the World’s

Largest Professional Networking Website”

Date: Thursday, August 13^th 2009

Time: 8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific)

On this lively, content-packed interview we’ll discuss:

How to position yourself on LinkedIn to capitalize on *extraordinary* opportunities
How to identify connections that will generate
remarkable additional contacts for your business
What the actor Burgess Meredith (yes, The Penguin in
the old Batman tv series!) can teach you about diversifying your network
Top 3 strategies for LinkedIn newbies
How much time should you REALLY spend on LinkedIn to
get the most out of it?
How to integrate LinkedIn with your face-to-face
networking activities
The most UNDERUTILIZED features that could help you win
more business
And much more!

This call is FREE for members of my Smart Networking Inner
Circle coaching program.

Not a member yet? Learn how you can get a two-month trial
and get access to monthly expert calls, monthly open Q&A calls, CDs of the
calls, one-one-one laser coaching opportunities and other members-only
benefits.

About Lewis Howes

Lewis Howes (@lewsihowes) helps professionals and companies achieve
greater return on the time they devote to LinkedIn and other social networking
through his acclaimed training seminars, one-on-one coaching sessions, and
corporate consulting programs. He also creates opportunities for online
connections to gather face-to-face through his live “LinkedWorking” events
around the country.

Learn more about Lewis at:

www.lewishowes.com —
personal website

www.sportsnetworker.com
— site that connects sports professionals in the industry and features articles from top executives in the industry

www.rippleresults.com —
partnered business that helps drive clients’ businesses through internet
marketing and social media

www.linkedworking.com — link to more information and to buy
Lewis’ book LinkedWorking

CLICK here to learn more about the Smart Networking Inner Circle coaching program

Filed Under: Building Your Business, LinkedIn, Marketing Yourself, Social Networking, Teleseminars & Training Tagged With: lewis howes, linkedworking, liz lynch, smart networking inner circle

Setting Up for Successful Follow-up

July 12, 2009 by Liz Lynch 1 Comment

The follow up process is one of the areas of networking that still seems to confuse some people. Most realize that meeting someone at a networking event for five minutes isn’t enough to build a relationship, and that follow up is critical.

The fortune is in the follow-up

But while they may have good intentions of following up with the contacts they meet at events, once they’re back in the office they find themselves staring at the stack of business cards they collected and wondering what’s the next step?

Follow up can be awkward if you don’t have a plan. Sun Tzu once said, “Every battle is won before it’s ever fought,” and I feel the same could be said about the follow up process. What you do BEFORE the follow up will make it easy or hard.

6 steps to make follow up happen

To make the process as smooth as possible, before you end a conversation with someone you want to follow up with later, make sure you follow these steps:

1) Find a reason during the conversation to follow up. It’s always easier to make the follow up call or send the follow up email if you know the other person is expecting it. Ask enough questions during your conversation to learn about their goals and what’s important to them, and listen for ways you can help.

2) Make sure the reason to follow up is a value-add for them. Look for a reason to give information that will have value for them, not just something that benefits you. In other words, unless they specifically asked for it, promising to email your sales brochure or your resume doesn’t count.

3) Once you find an opening, make the follow up offer. When you find a way to connect them to a resource or contact in your network, speak up. You can say something like, “I have a contact who may be able to help you with that. I’d be happy to send you her information.”

4) Ask how they would prefer to be contacted. Ask for a business card so you have their contact info, but also ask what’s their preferred method of follow up. Some people like email while others prefer the phone. They’ll appreciate that you asked and are likely to be more responsive.

5) Follow up soon after the event. Do your best to send the information you promised within a few days of the event. Not only will it clear up your to-do list and mental bandwidth, but it will also show that you have your act together and that you care about the relationship.

6) Stay in touch. Connecting with each other on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter allows you to stay in touch unobtrusively and follow what is happening with them so that you can continue to find ways to add value and strengthen the relationship.

Follow up doesn’t have to be a numbers game. You don’t have to spend time meeting hundreds of new people every year hoping that a handful of them will convert into good contacts. By following some simple steps, you can turn just about any contact you make into a lasting connection.

Note: For more strategies to follow up effectively and build relationships with ease, grab your copy of the Smart Networking System today.

Read the original post in Personal Branding Blog.

Filed Under: Building Your Business, LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Twitter Tagged With: dan schawbel, follow up, networking, personal branding blog

Jobs, Baby, Jobs: Get Ready for Job Action Day – Nov. 3

November 2, 2008 by Liz Lynch 8 Comments

Quintessential Careers has declared Monday, November 3 Job Action Day to rally those who’ve lost their jobs or are concerned about that possibility in these uncertain economic times.

“It’s a day to strategize plans for developing new job and career options and devising new and better ways to track down job leads and position themselves for employment opportunities,” says founder and publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen.

Their site will be chock full of service-oriented articles and blog entries to help professionals “take stock of their careers and develop a plan for their next career steps.” Topics include interview tips, excelling in your job, becoming a free agent, and of course, networking.

I’ll be sharing four ways to use LinkedIn to maximize your job search efforts and help you land the job of your dreams sooner: Attacking the Job Market and Workplace Proactively in Tough Times: A Roundup of Expert Advice.

Don’t leave your fate in someone else’s hands. Take action today!

Filed Under: Job Search Networking, Job Security, LinkedIn Tagged With: job action day, quintcareers, quintessential careers

Plug Into the Power of Existing Connections

LinkedIn Best Practices Poll: Friend, Colleague or Other?

LinkedIn Best Practices: 5 Keys to the Perfect Invitation